


( string theory )

by Acacius



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, corrin worries too much, fe14 is ruining my life, i did my best but hopefully they're not ooc, keaton being keaton, keaton is actually a complex char, things get dark for a bit, trust me it's actually more fluff than angst, your daily dose of fluff and angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-03-16
Packaged: 2018-05-27 04:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6269314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acacius/pseuds/Acacius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Corrin has a nightmare. Keaton comforts in the only way he knows. F!My Unit/Keaton</p>
            </blockquote>





	( string theory )

**Author's Note:**

> tfw you kill your husbando in birthright :(

It's his blood on her hands. 

Yato glows gold, illuminating the bleeding wound in the wolfskin's chest. Crimson pools indiscriminately against his blazer, dripping down the hilt of the blade to stain the ground. His lips part as if to speak, but only a breathless whine drifts into the night air. There is fear in his eyes, then emptiness. Gloved fingers that were once wrapped around the sword fall to the side, gravity toppling the pair onto the dewy grass. 

Her lithe frame trembles—it can't be! No, no, no, not him, never him—  
Frantic, Corrin reaches a bloodstained hand to the wolfskin, cape draping over her shoulder at a sudden gust of wind.

The sight of a pure white cape in her periphery freezes her in place. Spellbound, she turns her head, seeing that it is not the emblem of Nohr at her shoulder, but Hoshido, stained red with the blood of her enemy. 

Moments later she let out a blood-curdling scream. 

...

"Corrin." 

The woman cries out in her sleep, head tossing and turning against her pillow. 

"Corrin, wake up! You're having a nightmare!" A pair of warm hands reach up to caress her cheeks, moving to the base of her head to slow her wild thrashing. All at once, the Nohrian royal opens her eyes, forehead pressed against her husband's. 

"K-keaton? You're alright-- thank the gods." A few happy tears escape her eyes and she blinks them away before wrapping her arms around the wolfskin. 

Keaton gives a yelp of approval, resting his head against Corrin's chest in an attempt to burrow closer to the woman. The sound of her heartbeat, now at an even and steady pace, brings a sigh of relief past the man's lips.

"Geeze, what's gotten into you? Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?"

The princess runs her hands through his hair, cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment.

"It's silly. It was just a little nightmare..." She trailed, fingers curling almost possessively in his unruly locks. 

"I-it just seemed so real. Like I had truly hurt you in a past life. Ah, now you must think I'm going mad." She gives a bitter chuckle hoping to not meet the wolfskin's gaze.

He always seemed to see right through her.

Slowly, Keaton separated himself from Corrin, a serious expression fixed across his face. It was startling—the wolfskin was rarely seen without a smile, even in the heat of battle. In fact, he looked almost... frightening? 

It was so easy to forget sometimes, but Keaton was not human. Beneath his happy demeanor and childish antics, laid a predator, one whose teeth and claws had ended countless humans. 

On instinct, Corrin shrunk back, bumping her shoulder on the headboard. It wasn't a fear of the wolfskin that gripped her—never that—but rather, she feared she offended him in some way. 

"Corrin..." Keaton inched closer, face unreadable as he extended a clawed hand. She did not flinch as the nails trailed against her neck, sending a cold shiver down her spine. 

"My home village is very weary of humans. We always had poachers trying to come up and take our fur. We, of course, killed them all. It almost became like a sport. You couldn't go ten steps without stumbling upon their bones." Keaton paused, noting that there was no fear in Corrin's eyes. 

The hand at her throat moved to her shoulder, pinning her down. His other hand came up to the opposite shoulder and did the same until he was straddling her, though his full weight did not rest upon the princess. In fact, Corrin was sure that if she did so much as wiggle her arms that she would be able to free herself in an instant. 

"Did you know that I have some human bones in my treasure box? They belonged to a nasty poacher. He said that wolfskin were more beast than human... that we isolated ourselves in the mountains because we couldn't control our more base desires to kill and maim. If we were surrounded by humans all day, we'd eventually go mad and attack everyone—even those we considered dear." 

The white-haired woman shook her head, giving the wolfskin a small smile. "Well, as you can see, he was very wrong. You would never hurt me, Keaton. Nor would you attack our allies. You’ve done your best to make friends with everyone, even people like Benny or Peri, who seem rough around the edges at first.” 

Keaton gave a dark chuckle, grin wide and sharp. “Are you sure? I spend a lot of time imagining what their blood would look like if it were spilled on the ground. I bet it’d be beautiful. Especially yours.” 

Corrin was undeterred from his supposed bloodlust. As she predicted, the moment she tensed her shoulder, the wolfskin released her, allowing the royal to cup his cheek. Almost absentmindedly, Corrin drew her thumb across the x-shaped scar. “It’s okay—I know the difference between a dark imagination and actually… sinking your claws into someone. We all have those urges sometimes. You’ve killed lots of people, right? In war, we must rationalize our actions, our reasons to kill. Luckily, your mind’s done that for you subconsciously.” 

Dipping forward, she brought her lips against his, enjoying the yelp of surprise that the man made. 

“You’re going to have to try harder to scare me. You’d never hurt me… and I-I would never hurt you. Consciously, of course.” Her words faltered as the image of the wolfskin with her sword through his chest invaded her mind. 

Keaton recovered from his initial surprise from the kiss with only a light blush, though there was a sadness apparent in the way a low whine rumbled from his chest. 

“Corrin, what exactly happened in your nightmare?” 

It took the woman a few good moments to feel calm enough to speak, but her voice was quiet, as if speaking her dream would somehow make it true. “I-it was dark. We were in a forest and my sword pierced your chest. I was wearing Hoshido royalty garb and all I could make out in the dark was a row of mountains. Oh gods, don’t tell me—“ 

The wolfskin interrupted smoothly, bringing his arms around the woman who looked to be at the point of sobbing. “Ah, it’s okay. While that does sound a lot like where my village is located it doesn’t change the fact that it was just a dream. Besides, you never would’ve sided with Hoshido, right? You love your siblings here too much.” 

“…I don’t know. Choosing to side with Nohr was the most difficult decision in my life. W-what if I hadn’t? Your village is located in Nohrian territory, isn’t it? You’ve told me before… Mount Garou, right? We could have crossed paths there, if roles were reversed.” 

Keaton nodded, uneasiness etched in his features. “Yeah… if I had met you there, I’m not sure what would’ve happened. I’ve uh killed almost every human who has entered into our territory unannounced.” The simple thought of harming Corrin in any way brought a sinking feeling into the pit of his stomach. 

“Earlier today I was with Leo and he lent me a book. It was full of scientific jargon, mind you, but I was able to understand one concept with his help. It’s called String Theory.” 

The wolfskin’s ears perked up. “String Theory? Why would something about yarn be in a science tome?” 

“A-ah, it’s not about actual string or yarn. It’s the idea that there are multiple universes out there, all based on decisions you made. Like what if you hadn’t stumbled upon the gondolas at the theatre that night? What if you hadn’t gotten lost and needed help? In another time, another world even, we could have been enemies. I could’ve killed you.” 

To Corrin’s surprise, Keaton let out a hearty laugh, clutching at his stomach. Tears of mirth sprung up in his eyes and he had to wipe at them with his sleeve as he laughed. “Oh, you humans are hilarious. That’s what you’re worried about? That you killed me in some other life? To be fair, it was probably justified. Besides, I’d prefer that to the alternative. For a human, you’re really strong—probably stronger than me. If you died then that other world is so screwed.” 

Still bewildered, the princess remained silent, absorbing the man’s words. Was she really overreacting? Somehow, the entire situation seemed silly. Moments later she found herself laughing with the wolfskin. They collapsed against each other in a fit of giggles loud enough to wake up the entire barracks. Once they finally collected their wits, Keaton placed his hand over Corrin’s, giving a bright and all too familiar smile. 

“So, that’s it? Nothing else you wanna get off your chest? I’m feeling surprisingly generous tonight, so let me know if anything else is bugging you. After all, you mean more to me than a thousand silly alternate universes.” 

Corrin sighed, the weight of her true onus materializing at his simple probing. “Well, that’s not the only thing on my mind. Honestly, it reminded me of a more pressing issue. Every day I feel myself becoming more and more like my father. One day, I may no longer be the woman you fell in love with.” 

The wolfskin was uncharacteristically silent at her words, brows furrowed in a mix of worry and sympathy. His once jovial countenance melted away instantly as he grabbed Corrin's wrist. With a tug, he had her sitting in his lap, her back pressed against his chest. He allowed himself a brief respite, breathing in the princess's scent. Corrin giggled at the ticklish feeling of the wolfskin's nose nuzzling against her neck, arms looped around her waist.   
“No matter what happens, I’ll be at your side. Always. I don’t care about all the people you’ve killed—I’ve done much worse. You taught me to value human life… and for that, I’m eternally grateful. Even if you one day rule Nohr with the same voracity as King Garon, I will be right beside you. So cheer up, okay?” Corrin could feel him grinning against her, teeth skimming the base of her throat. 

“Thank you, Keaton. Though, I truly hope it doesn’t come to that…” the Nohrian princess paused, angling her head to give the wolfskin a peck on the cheek. They soon devolved into a comfortable silence, neither moving nor speaking, merely basking in each other’s presence. It wasn’t until Corrin let out a great yawn that Keaton untangled himself from the lithe woman, pulling the covers over them. Cocooned amongst the sheets, Keaton clung to the princess, tail wagging happily. Just having her beside him was enough. He couldn't ask for anything better. 

“Tired enough to fall asleep again?” He teased, voice muffled in the crook of her neck. 

The white-haired royal nodded, feeling the spindles of sleep grip her mind. Combined with the warmth emanating from her husband, it was almost impossible for Corrin to keep her eyes open. 

“That’s good. I’ll be here when you wake. I promise.” 

Snuggling even closer to the wolfskin, Corrin fell asleep to the sound of his breaths. She did not have any more nightmares that night. 

No, it was probably the best night of sleep she had gotten since starting her conquest for peace.

**Author's Note:**

> I luv me some angst. i got the idea of Keaton imagining killing his allies from his support convos w/ Peri. He' actually a really morbid char lmao (my fave character from fe:a was Henry so i think u can see a pattern, haha). Do look up their support dialogue if you get the chance—it really helped me understand Keaton better. hope you all enjoyed this little oneshot and do let me know what you think if you get the chance ^^


End file.
